Metal container for radio sets



Oct. 18, 1938. E. J. Pool.

METAL CONTAINER FOR RADIO SETS Filed March 30, 1935 c 5' /e l 6L 2 .IW/7202117022:

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Patented Oct. 18, i938 UNITED' STATES l METAL CONTAINER FOB, RADIO SETS Esson J. Pool. Chicago, Ill., assignor to Cinch Manufacturing Corporation, Chicago, lll., aY

corporation of Illinois ,Application March 30, 1935, Serial No. 13,915 1 claim; "(el. zzo-5s) My invention aims to provide improvementsin fastener means for securing a cover to radio boxes and the like/ structures.

In the drawing which illustrates preferred I forms of my inventionti Figure l is a plan view of a metal radio set container with cover attached;

Fig. 2 is a section taken on the line 2-2 of F18- 1: i

Fig. 3 is a section taken on the line l-l'of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a section taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2:

Fig. 5 is a section showing another form of my invention;

Fig. 6 is a section taken on the line 6-8 of Fig. 5:

Fig. '1 is a section taken on the line 1-1 of Fig. 5; and A Fig. 8 is a section of a fastener member per se taken from the side. f

My invention relates especially to a metal box and cover installation for housing an automobile radio set and the like.

It is well known that an automobile radio set. vin orderl toobtain clear radio performance, must becompletely shielded from all outside interferences. One method is to install the set in a metal box which is thoroughly grounded to the automobile body. This metal box, together with a detachable cover, must be of good conductive metal material in order that there be a complete grounding means surrounding the set while the cover is on the box. I have provided in my invention, a fastening means for securely attaching the cover to the box and which will, at the same time, provide a good electrical wiping contact bel tween the cover and the box.

' I have taken as a preferred embodiment of my 40 invention, although I do not wish to be limited thereby, a fastener member made of cold rolled steel material. I prefer this untempered mate-` rial because, among other things, it is more adaptable to be spot-welded to a supporting structure, such as a radio cabinet cover, than a high carbon tempered steel. By spot-welding my fastener member,. I am enabled to secure it more quickly to a support, than would be the case if the fastener were attached by ordinary riveting means, and it is notnecessary to have alignment of the holes in the fastener means with the holes f in the supporting structure.

I have provided a rib-shaped formation on each of the spring fingers of the fastener member for the purpose of stiffening the spring nger to cause 'sufficient tension in the finger to enable it to bear may takeseveral forms, one of which is shown in Fig. 2. There, I have provided a member made in strip form, preferably of cold rolled steel, hav- `ring a base portion 3 which is substantially fiat and secured to the inner surface of the cover 2 by means oi the rivets l, although I would prefer that this attachment be by spot-welding, as shown in Fig. 6.

Preferably the fastener member has a number Aof spring fingers 5 extending downwardly and outwardly from' the base 3. The member 5 has a shoulder portion 6 for the purpose of bearing upon the interior of the box side walls 1 thereby pressing the ange I of the cover 2 firmly against the walls 1.

I have provided at the same time, as shown in Fig. 2, a'spring finger 9 attached to the same base portion 3 as the finger i but having a more pronounced shoulder' formation II) than the finger 5, the purpose ofwhich is to engage with a shoulder portion I I bent from the side Wall 1, as is shown in Fig. 4.

These fastener strips may be of any length and comprise any combination of the two finger types as may be desired. When the cover is placed in position on the box and forced down, the wall 1 of the box engages the fingers 5, which are slanted toward the sidewall, and forces thershoulders 6 away from the flange 8, thereby forcing the wall 1 against the flange 8. When Ythe cover is completely closed the bent-in shoulder portion II of y the side wall engages the shoulder portion I0 of the spring finger 9 and the cover is thus securely fastened in place.

'I'he spring fingers are provided with a ribshaped portion I2 (Fig. 8) for the purpose of stifiening the untempered steel so that 'suitable spring tension may be maintained for the purposes described.

In Figs. 5, 6 and 7, I have shown a pin I3 projecting from the side wall 1 and providing a means vior resting the anges 8 of the cover 2. 'I'his pin,

lus

' cover anges as shown in Figs. 6 and 7, but the pin or shoulder is usually unnecessary when the cover ange extends at right angles to the cover i base, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. In this construction I have eliminated the rivets 4 of the previously described construction to carry out my idea of spot-welding the fasteners in place instead of other more expensive and slower methods.

Spot-Welding the fasteners to the boxes is particularly important when it is desired to apply baked enamel to the outer surface. It is desirable to have a neat i'lnish to the box and this can be accomplished when the fasteners are spotwelded better than when riveted.

While I have illustrated and described preferred forms of my invention, I do not wish to be limited thereby, asthe scope of my invention is best deined by the following claim.

I claim; In combination, a metal automobile radio box vhaving a body portion with upstanding side walls,

a cover portion for said box adapted to receive an ornamenting surface, fastening means for securing the cover to the box comprising strips of untempered steel of substantial length relative to the length of the respective side walls, spot Welded yto the inner surface of one of said portions with no part thereof extending beyond the outer surface of such portion to present projections which would impair said ornamenting surface, each of said fastening means being provided with a series of vindependently acting ngers bearing against the'other portion of said box under spring tension to hold it in tight electrical contact with a cooperating box portion whereby the portions of the box cooperate -to shield a radio set contained therein, and said fingers being formed with an olset rib pressed therein adjacent to the point of attachment of the fastening means to lthe box portion to stiiTen said fingers to increase the bearing tension of the fingers against the cooperating box portions. l p

' ESSON J. POOL. 

